How to Feed Chestnut Trees

By Lauren Wise; Updated September 21, 2017

Chestnut trees cover more than nine million acres in the United States alone. They are ideal additions to any landscape and provide shade, oxygen, fragrant white blossoms and a tasty harvest of nuts that can be roasted and devoured. There are some key things to keep in mind when feeding a chestnut tree to make it grow healthy and thrive.

Keep your chestnut tree in well-drained acidic soil. Ideally, it should be slightly sandy. Chestnut trees won't do well in clay or loamy soil.

Water your chestnut tree once a week from late June to August, using at least eight gallons of water to ensure that the roots are kept wet. The tree primarily feeds through the roots, which helps with beneficial fungi and nutrients. After the tree has matured, water it only during dry periods.

Add a layer of wood chips or straw around the base of the trunk that is about 3 inches thick. This mulch will provide insulation and retain moisture. Keep the mulch at least 6 inches from the trunk in cooler seasons.

Locate the chestnut tree's drip line in early summer of the tree's second year. The drip line is where water from sprinklers or rain drips from the tip of the branches to the ground.

Dig five different holes around the tree at major drip line areas with a shovel. The holes need to be about 1 foot deep. Pour 1 tsp. of 10-10-10 fertilizer into each hole.

Repeat this procedure each year in the spring season, increasing the amount of holes by one or two each year, right on the drip line.